"The world’s longest undefended border?": the policing of Canada’s borders since 9/11

This paper explores Canadian border security policy after 9/11 in the context of ‘police borders’ as articulated by Peter Andreas. The concept of ‘police borders’ is an alternative to traditional theoretical perspectives in international relations, where the role of borders has been ‘recrafted’ towards the prevention of ‘clandestine transnational actors’ instead of focusing on military or economic concerns. This paper argues that post-9/11 the U.S-Canada border has shifted in the direction of a police border. However, new security efforts from the Canadian government have not necessarily addressed continuing weaknesses or American security concerns. Borders are being reinforced in North America, whereas under the Schengen Agreement, the European Union has facilitated the effective disappearance of borders among member states while hardening the perimeter of Europe. As the result of current trends in American foreign policy and illegal immigration, the United States will likely continue to tighten the U.S.-Canada border.